Submarine escape buoy



June 24, 1930. T, C, DUNN 1,768,037

SUBMAR I NE E$ CAPE BUOY Filed Feb. 1.5,.1929 5 sheets-sheet 1 ATTORNEY June 24, 1930. T, DUNN 1,768,037

SUBMARINE ESCAPE-BUOY Filed Feb. 15, 1929 5 sheets-sheet 2 June 24, 1930, T, C, DULlN l I 1,768,037

SUBMARINE ESCAPE BUOY Filed Feb. l5, 1929 5 SheeliS-SheetI 5.

I 5 faim/72 WITNESS: ATTORNEY June 24, 1930. T. c. DULIN SUBMARINE ESCAPE BUOY 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Feb. 15,

June 24, 1930. -T, C, DU| |N l I 1,768,037

SUBMARINE ESCAPE BUOY l Il n@ lI'Hll'ill'o l lI @m llmflllw f1 "Hull" o ru I QP HHH- HI l l Ilil l'll'll f MI" f {MIEI-I!! QR l* n |111 I TCZLETOR y wxmss l ATTORNEY Patented` June 24, 193() *unirenisrrses Arent THoMAs CARROLL putin, crEAsToN, MARYLAND, ,Assienon or ONE-HALF 'ro IARRY Y f Fox, or nAsfroN, MARYLAND 4 v :suBMARiNE ESCAPE BUoY Application medrprary 15, 1929. Serial No. 340,231.

This, invention relates to-'anfescape buoy for ships, the invention being mainly designed for use with submarines, and the gen- Veral object of the invention is to make the buoy in the forni of a cabin sothat the crew and other occupants of the ship can. enter the same, with Vmeans for releasing the cabin from the ship whereby it will risev to the surface throughits own buoyancy.

Anot-her objectof the invention is to providea rudder for the cabin which is automatically moved into operative position when a latch member therefor is retractedafter the cabin reachesv the surface, said rudder acting to keep the cabin from having erratic movements under the 'action ofthe waves and therudder also acts to keep the cabin from being turned over by the waves.

Another object of the invention is to pro.- vide a tank on the'shipifor receiving the cabin, the tank having a watertight cover, with means for automatically releasing the cover by the escaping movement ofthe cabin, andmeans whereby a member of the crew can permit seawater 'to enter thetank to cause the cabin topass from the same, suchmeans enabling the operator to enter the cabin and yclosethe door thereof beiiore the water rises high enough in the tank tof` reach the door. y Another object of the inventionis to"V provide pneumaticume'ans for vforcing ythe cabin from thetank'if the water entering the tank should lfail, for any reason, to cause the cabin to'leave the tank. y

' Another object of the invention is to provide means for vent'ilvating the cabin without opening the doors or windowsthereof, when the. same is onthe sur'face'and to provide means whereby'rockets can be fired from the cabin without danger ofiioodilig the cabin. This invention also consists in certainother yfeatures of construction andin the combination `and arrangement of the ls'eweralparts, to

be hereinaftertully described, illustrated inv the accopanying drawings and -specifically i i pointed out in the appended claims. y

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, `and in which:-

Figure l is a sectional view through the tank, with the cabin in elevation.

Figure 2 is a planl view of the tank and 55 part of the ship to which the upper end of the tankis connected, with lthe cover of the tank removed, 4parts being shown in section.'

Figure 3 is a bottom plan 4view'of the cover ofthe tankpand the means for moving 60' the latch me'ansof the cover to releasing position. 1 z v Figure 4 is a top planfview of the cover.

Figurek 5 is a vertical sectional view vthrough the cabin, showing the same on the surface of the water.` f f Figure 6 is a section on line 6-`6`of Fig'- ure5..; v v '3"1 Figure 7 is a sectional view showinga door in the top of the cabin.

`Figure 8 is a sectional detailviewthrough the hinged brace.

Figure 9 is a section' on line 9 9 of Figure 8.1' f

FigurelO isa: section online l010-f i' Figure 9. i i i Figure' 11 is a section on line lll.-llof Figure 2. j f

Figure l2 is a 'section'on' line `1Qf-12 of Figure 5.

Figure 13 is a sectional viewthrougla' they two-way valve for ycont-rolling the airfsupply to1 the cylinder at thei central Apart of, the ca Jin.

" Figure 14 'is a'detail sectional view showing the means for admitting sea water to the tank to force the cabin 'from the tank.

'p In these drawings, thenumeral lindic'ates a tank, suitablyarranged in a` submarine orA 'other vessel,.w1th its upper end fastened to the walls of an opening made in the deck or other part of the vessel. Figure 1 shows a ring 2 encircling the upper end of the tank and this ring and said end are fastened to the vert-ical part of an angle flange 3 which is fastened to the deck around the hole. A cover A is provided for the tank and has a pair of depending flanges 4 and 5 which forms a space to receive the upper end of the tank,

the ring and a part of the flange 3, with packing means 6 in the space so that when the cover is in closed yposition a watertight joint is formed between the cover and the tank. The cover is formed of a number of layers 7 of Wooden beams 8,-the top andl bottom beams extending in one direction and the center beam in an opposite direction, as shown in Figure 1 and the beams are connected together and to the struts 9 by the bolts 10. Thus a cover of considerable strength is provided and one which will float when detached from the tank. The'cover isv connected with the ship by a cablev 11 so that it cannot float off when detached.

The cover is fastened in covering position to the tank by the sliding bolts 12 carried by the hangers 13, attached to the bottom of the cover, and saidbolts are adapted to engage holes formed in thetop of the tank, under the ring 2 and a part Vof the flange 3, so that the lbolts will engage these parts, when projected,

thus firmly holding the cover in closing position on the tank. A plurality of substantially triangular shaped members 14 are pivoted tov a depending part on the cover, each pivotal ipin15v passing through an upper corner of the wide end of each member, with the lower corner having a slot 16therein to receive a projection 17 onf the inner end of each bolt; 12 so that when the small end of each member 14 is swung upwardly the memberjwillretract the bolt. These small ends of the members 14 carry rollers 18 which rest Ona plate 19, suspended from the cover by the chains 2O so that when the plate is pushed-upwardlyV all-the members 14 will be swung upwardly to retract all the bolts 12 and thus release the cover from the tank y and as the cover is buoyantit will i'ioat olf,

Y tank, adjacent the bottom thereof.` A valve 22 is located in the tank and is connected with the lower: end of the pipe 21 and said valve is provided with an upwardly extending handle 23. j Thus by opening the valve water is admitted to the tank, at the bottom thereof. A strainer 24 is placed on the upper end of the pipe 2 1` A sliding door 25 at one side of the tank provides access into the interior of the same and base blocks 26 are placed in the bottom of the tank.

A buoy-like Cabin B is located in the tank and rests upon the blocks 26, this cabin having vertically arranged fender beams 27 on its sides which carry the rollers 28 for engaging the sides of the tank to guide the cabin in its upward movement through the tank and two pairs of angle irons 29 are attached to the sides ofthe tank'and engage some of the'beams 27 'so'as to facilitate the placing of the cabin in the tank` with its door 30 in alignment with the door 25 of the tank.

Thus the occupants of the ship can pass into thetank through the door 25 and into the cabin through the door 30, the latter door opening inwardly. The last personto pass through the doors must close the door of the tank and then open the valve 22, the handle 23 of which is adjacent the door of t-he cabin, and then the door of the cabin is closed so that water from the tank cannot enter the cabin. The arrangement of the parts will give ample time for the closing of thecabin door before the water rises in the tank to the levelof the door. The waterrentering the tank will cause the cabin to float upwardly and strike the plate 19 and thus cause the plate to retract the bolts 12 to release the cover A. This cover will move off the tank due to its buoyant nature, or if itshould stick the upward movement of the cabin would force it oli' so that the cabin can pass from the tankV in the form of a cylinder and contains a pis-V ton 32 which is connectedv by a rod 33 with a foot piece 34 located exteriorly of the base of the cabin, the rod passing through a packing gland 35 in said base. Pipes 3 6 connect the upper end of the cylinder with a tank 37 in the cabin containing compressed air and a two-way valve 38 controls the flow of air through this pipe and through a pipe 39 which is connected with the lower end of the cylinder. Thus, if the water flowing into the tank should fail to float the cabin, this valve canbe opened to supply airto the top of the cylinder which willv force the piston Vdownwardly and thus cause the foo-t piece and connecting rod to push the cabinV upwardly through the1 tank bythe engagement of the foot piece with the bottom of the tank. The parts can be returned to their original position by turning the valve to cause air to flow to the lower end of the cylinder.

The cabin is preferably constructed of wood exteriorly covered with metal and theY parts are firmly braced by the braces :40 and that part of the cabin below the water line,

when the cabin is floating on the surface, is

covered with heavy metal asshown at-41. Brackets 42 are lplaced on the internal walls of the cabin, adjacent the center thereof, to support braces, one of which is'shown in dotted lines 43 in,V Figure. 5. Thesebraces preventcollapsing of the walls of the cabin when the same is released from a 4ship at a great depth. After the cabin reaches the surface these braces may be removed and placed in a positionwhere they will not be in thefway of the occupants;y

Seats 44are placed on the tank 37 and due to the circular form of the cabin these seats are wider at their backs than at their fronts which facilitates `the occupants holding themselves in the'seats during. violent movement of the cabin when rising to the surface or under the actions of waves. Portions of the tank 37 and the centrally arranged tank 45 may contain floor, Water rockets and other articles likely to be usedby the occupants. The windows 46 of the cabin are protected by the guards 47. A cap plate 48 is placed on the peak of the cabin roof and has holes 49 in its flanges, whereby cables may be attached to the cabin to moor the same or for other purposes. A stack 50 passes in a water tight manner through the roof and has its lower end supported by one of the brace parts 40-and a Ventilating tube 51 passes through the stack and is slidably arranged therein. The upper end of the tube has a cap`52 thereon which lits tight against the upper end of the stack when the tube is in lowered position and'adjacent this cap the tube is formed with a hole 53 through which air can enter the tube and thus flow into the cabin when the tube is in raised position. Or the air can pass through the tube from the cabin. This hole is covered by a partof the stack when the tube is lowered so that water cannot enter the cabin through the tube. A rod 54 is attached to the lower end of the tube and is adapted to engage the bayonet slots 55 in the stack to hold the tube in raised position.

A rocket tube 56 also passes through the roof and has a detachableV cap 57 on its lower end which is removed to enable a rocket to be placed in the tube. The rocket is lighted through a hole 58 in the side of the tube which is closed by a sliding door 59.

A removable cap 60 covers the upper end of the tube and this cap is hinged to a part of the tube. Of course the cap must make a water tight joint with the tube when closed and a gasket 61 is placed on the cap to permit this. A slotted line 62 is connected with a part of the hinge and a threaded rod 63 passes through a packing gland 64 1n the roof and has its upper end connected with the link by a pin 65 which engages the slot. Thus by turning the rod by a handle 66 on its inner end the cap can be adjusted to closed or open position. Thus rockets can be fired from the cabin to attract attention of other ships so that the occupants of the cabin can be rescued.

Skids 67 are attac-hed to the bottom of the cabin to facilitate its being moved on a deck or'other place and a pair of arms 68 are hinged to the ends of theseskids. A trough shaped member 69 isV fastened to the outer ends of these arms and a rudder 70 depends from the central part of the bottom of said member. This rudder acts to keep the cabin from having erratic movements and tends to keep the cabin moving in one direction while onthe surface and the weight of the trough shaped member andthe water therein 4will act to keep the cabin fromV being turned over bythe waves strikingthe cabin from the rudder side thereof and the flat bottom. of the member acting against the water will prevent vwaves coming from the opposite direction overturning the cabin.y A two-part brace 71 connects each arm 68 with a part of the cabin. Each section of the brace being formed of 4channel iron as shown in Figure 10 and the two` sections arel hinged together as shown at (2.

Aspring 7 3 at the hinge acts to force the brace .to open position and thus swing the arms downwardly when the spring plunger 77 moved downwardly by an occupant of the cabin. This plunger extends through a gland 78 in the roof of the cabin andengages a partof the member 69 when said member is swung against the side of the cabin, as shown in Figure 1. A latch 74 is provided for holding each sectional brace in Vopen position.

A door 7 5 may be located in part of the roof of thecabin, as shown in Figure 7, with steps 76 leading to the same.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that if a submarine or other ship to which the infvention is applied, should sink, it is simply necessary for the occupants to enter the cabin through the doors in the tank and cabin. The valve 22 isl opened and the doors closed, so that the-water used to release the cabin from the ship, will not flood the ship and the door of the cabin can be closed tight before the water in the tank reaches the same and before there is sufficient` water in thev tank to rcause the "cabin to release the cover of the tank. As the cabin strikes the plate 19 and moves the same upwardly, said plate will operateA the bolt retractingmembers soV thatthe cover A is'released from ,the tank and will not interfere with the escape of the cabin from the` ship. If the water entering the tank shoulc fail .toj move the cabin, the compressed air operated means within the vcabin-can beoperated to raise the cabin. y K. v

The cabin riseStothe surface and when it reaches the surface, the plunger 7 7is retracted so `as to permit the springs 73 to lmove the rudder device to operative position.V The cabin will float in uprightposition and if the sea is too rough to open the top door or the windows, the ventilator tube can be raised to admit air to the" cabin andv permitthe foul air to escape. Rockets can 'be fired from the cabin through the rocket tube without danger of getting water in the cabin and without the occupants opening doors to do so. The tail or rudder -member will tend to keep the cabin moving with the waves and will prevent the cabin being upset by the waves. After the occupants have been rescued, the cabin can be attached to therescue ship by cables fastened to the cap plate and the cabin towed to port, and this plate can be used for placing the cabin in the tank by a derrick or the like. The skids willV enable the cabin to be moved across a deck or the like without diiiiculty.

What I claim is: y Y

l. vIn combination with a ship, a tank therein and opening out through an exterior part thereof, a buoyant cabin in the tank, doors in the tank and cabin whereby occupants can enter the cabin from the ship, means for admitting sea water into the tank by an occupant entering the cabin and after the door of the tank is closed, said water causing the cabin to pass from the tank, a watertight buoyant cover for the tank, latch means for holding the same in closed position, means operated by the movement of the cabin in the V tank for'releasing the latch means, a rudder member pivoted to the lower part of the cabin and resting against the cabin when the cabin is in thetank, a latch for holding the rudder in this position, means for automatically swinging the member to operative position when the latch is retracted and a trough carried by said member above the rudder thereof. f

2. In combination with a ship, a tank therein and opening` out through an exterior part thereof, Va buoyant cabin in the tank, doors in the tank and cabin whereby occupants can enter the cabin from the ship, means for admitting sea water into the tank by an occupant entering the cabin and after the door of the tank is closedsaid water causing the cabin to pass from the tank, a water-tight buoyant cover for the tank, latch means for holding .r the same in closed position and means operated by the movement of the cabin in the tank for releasing the latch means, such means comprising pivoted members connected with the -latch means, rollers on the lower ends of said members, a plate, flexible members for suspending` the plate from the cover and a part on the roof kof the cabin for engaging the plate for forcing it against the pivoted members when the cabinmoves in the tank for causing said members to release the latch vwhen the latch is retracted..

buoyant cover for the tank, latch means for holding the same in closed position, means operated by the movement of the cabin in the tank for releasing the latchvmeans, a rudder member pivoted to the lower part of the cabin and Vresting against the .cabin when the cabin is in the tank, a latch for holding the rudder in this position and means for automatically swinging the member to'operative position In testimony whereof I affix my signature. THOMAS CARROLL' DULIN. Y

in and opening out through an exterior part thereof, a buoyant cabin in the tank, doors in the tank and lcabin whereby occupants can enter'the'cabin from the ship, means for admitting sea water into the tank by an occupant entering the cabin and after fthe door of the tank is closed, said water causingrthe cabin'to passv from'the tank, a watertight 

